Internal-combustion engine



Aprll 9, 1946. A. L. VISSAT INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE F'iled Oct. 3, 1944 INVENTOR nuruouv L v/ssn-r' ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 9, 1946 INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Anthony L. Vissat, wukmsbui- Pa. application October 3, 1944, Serial No. 556,986

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved internal combustion engine, and important objects and advantages thereof are to provide a more efficient internal combustion engine of the character described, which employs a straight shaft instead of the conventional crankshaft, which functions to impart rotation to its shaft through the straightline reciprocations of the embodied piston rods with respect to the alignmentof the latter with associated pistons, which maintains the full maximum compression of the fuel charges within the combustion chambers until ignition is efiected. which is simple in its construction and arrangement, compact, durable, and comparatively economical in its manufacture, operation, fuel consumption, and maintenance, and which will operate with a minimum of vibration.

With theforegoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts herein specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but it is'to be understood that the latter is merely an embodiment of the invention, and that the actual needs of practice and manufacture may require certain mechanical variations from the embodiment shown. It is, therefore, not intended to limit the invention to the disclosure thereof herein illustrated, but rather to define such limitations in the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views: 3

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating the invention as'applied to an internal combustion engine.

Figure 2 is an elevational view thereof taken a right angles thereto. Figure 3 is a side view of the shaft with associated cams. Figures 4 and 5 are, respectively, side and and views of the upper cam block. Figure 6 is a side view of a guide plate, and Figure 7 is a similar view of the saddle.

Referring in detail to the drawing l represents a straight, crankless engine shaft, on which a plurality of spaced, circular cams 2 are eccentrically fixed in position by welding, or in any other suitable manner. The positions of the cams 2 of the shaft l, relatively to each other, is such as to conform to the crank layout of a conventional type of crankshaft of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine. The number of cylinders embodied in the latter, of course, determines the number of cams 2 carried by the straight shaft l.

An impeller mechanism 3 is shiftablymounted for vertical reciprocating movement on the shaft I, and engages and encloses each of the cams 2.

The impeller mechanism 3 comprises an upper cam block 4 and a lower cam block 5. The cam 5 blocks 4 and 5 are respectively disposed above and below the associated cam 2, and are of uniform thickness with respect to the latter. The cam blocks 4 and 5 are secured in position by a pair of similar guide plates 6, which are secured in position by a plurality of bolts, respectively indicated at 1 and 8.

The guide plates 8 are disposed at respective sides of the cam 2, and the latteris accurately fitted but freely revoluble between the former. Each of the guide plates 6 is provided with an elongated vertically extending slot 9 for the passage of the shaft therethrough, and to allow the reciprocal vertical movement of the impeller mechanism 3 on said shaft l.

A reenforcing saddle l overlaps the upper ends of the guide plates 6 and the interposed upper cam block 4, and is secured in position by the bolts 1/ The lower end of each of the depending legs of the saddle I0 is formed with a recess ll registering with the slots 9 in respective guide plates 6 to provide clearance from the shaft I during the vertical movement of the impeller mechanism 3 during the operation of the engine in the manner hereinafter to be described.

The assembled construction of the impeller mechanism 3 allows the latter to be removed from or replaced in the engine structure without disturbing the connection of the shaft l. The slots 9 in the guide plates 6 have open upper ends. whereby said guide plates 6, assembled with the lower cam block 5, may be readily removed, when required for repairs and the like, from other parts of the impeller mechanism 3 and from the engine. by simply removing the upper securing bolts 1.

The inner edge of the upper cam block 4 is suitably formed to provide a curved cam face it, which is disposed at the enlarged forward end portion of said upper cam block. The inner edge of the lower cam block is also formed to provide a suitable convexly curved cam face I 3, which latter is likewise disposed in the forward end portion of said lower cam block. The terms inner and forward are herein respectively applied relatively to the axis of the shaft I and with respect to the rotation of the shaft with the cam 2 in the clockwise direction, as indicated by an arrow in Figure l.

The forward enlarged end of the upper cam of the latter by against said case Ii that is open at its lower end. An impact pawl it is pivotally suspended in said recess is by one of the upper securing bolts 1, which latter extends through the upper end thereof. The impact pawl I is engaged on its forward side by the lower free end of a. flat spring IS. The upper end is fixed to the saddle by a bolt H. The normal action of the spring it tends to force the impactpawl l5 rearwardly against the inner recess wall, whereby the free lower end of the impact pawl It will project through and beyond the surface of the cam face I2 of the upper cam block 4. The lower end of the impact pawl I5 is flat and functions to intermittently engage in a squared pocket seat I8, which latter is formed in the peripheral face of the cam 2.

The impeller mechanism 2 is supported by and secured to the lower end of the piston rod it. which latter has its upper end attached to the piston 20 operating reciprocally in the engine cylinder 2|. The attachment of the piston rod II with the piston 20 may be fixed, as shown, or may have a journaled connection therewith in the usual manner. The piston rod l9 and the piston 2|! are preferably aligned with the axis of the engine shaft l.

The vertical reciprocation of the impeller mechanism 3, actuated by the operation of the piston 20 in the cylinder 2|, imparts rotations to the associated cam 2 and to the engine shaft l upon which said cam 2 is fixed. Thepocket seat it in the cam 2 is disposed approximately in alignment with the axis of the shaft l and with the diametric center of the cam 2.

The position of the impact pawl It, in the impeller mechanism 3, is such that the former will engage in the cam pocket seat It only when the cam 2 has shifted forwardly to a position approximately forty-five degrees from its vertical or dead center, as illustrated in Figure 1. During the rotation of the cam 2, the impact pawl it will be forced forwardly against the action of the spring l8 and the periphery of the cam 2 will slide idly impact pawl. However, when the cam pocket seat It comes into re istration with the impact pawl II, the action of the spring l8 pact pawl into the cam pocket seat It. In a fourcycle type of internal combustion engine, firing for the power stroke takes place every other time that the impact pawl so engages in the pocket seat It.

Due to the relative curvatures of the periphery of the cam 2 and of the cam edge I 2 of the upper cam block 4, the movement of the piston 20 is momentarily arrested at its maximum up-stroke while the cam 2 moves forwardly from its vertical dead center to its forty-five degree angular filing position, whereby maximum compression of the fuel charge within the compression chamber is maintained until the firing operation has been effected.

It will here be noted that in the operation of my improved crankless engine, the impeller mechanism 2 operates to impart rotation to the cam 2 and associated shaft I only during the power stroke of the piston 20 in the cylinder 2|, and that the exhaust, suction, and compression strokes of the piston 20 are effected through the actuation of the impeller mechanism 3 by the rotating cam 2, in the manner not unlike the stroke operations of an engine embodying a conventional crankshaft.

Assuming that the invention is embodied in a four-cycle type, multi-cylinder internal combusassess? tion engine, the operation is as follows: when the cam 2 is in its forward, angular firing position, with the impact pawl l6 engaged in the cam pocket seat l8, as shown in Figure 1, firing takes-place to effect the power stroke of the piston 20, and the impeller mechanism wardly thereby; The engagement of the impact pawl I! in the cam pocket seat i8 will obviously impart a mementary, definite, and a most powerfully effective impetus to the cam 2 tending to rotate the latter and the shaft I. The driving action will be continued by the engagement of the cam face l2 of the upper cam block 4 against the periphery of the cam 2 until the latter reaches its most downward or full depending position at the end of the power stroke. It is. of course, evident that the angularity of the cam 2 when in the firing position may be varied to best meet conditions found in practice.

After the power stroke has been completed, the continuing rotation of the cam 2 will elevate the impeller mechanism 8 to thereby effect the .ex-

. haust stroke of the piston 20. Further rotation will instantly force the lower free end of said imof the cam 2 will cause the latter to engage in the clearance camface it in the lower cam block 5 and thereby shift the impeller mechanism 3 downwardly to effect the intake or suction stroke of the piston 20. During the suction stroke the impact pawl I! will, of course, ineffectively snap into and out of the cam pocket seat l8.

Still further rotation of the cam 2 will again shift the impeller mechanism 2 upwardly to effect the compression stroke of the piston. As herein before stated, when the cam 2 is in its vertical dead center position like at the end of the compression stroke, the impeller mechanism 8 to-' gether with the attached piston 20, will be h'eld at its maximum up-stroke, while the cam 2 is shifting forwardly from said vertical dead center to its angular firing position, whereby the fuel charge is maintained at full maximum compression until fired to effect the power stroke. This completes the four-cycle functions of the engine which are simply repeated in the continued operations of the engine in the usual manner.

With the foregoing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and method of operation of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while the present disclosure provides a practical embodiment of the invention, the latter is not confined to strict conformity therewith, but may embody changes and modifications that entail no material departure from the principle of the invention as specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A power mechanism comprising a straight shaft, a circular cam eccentrically fixed on said shaft and having a pocket seat formed in the peripheral face thereof, a cylinder provided with a reciprocally shiftable piston, a piston rod connected to said piston, an impeller mechanism secured to saidrod and being mounted on said cam, said impeller mechanism including a pair of cam blocks having opposed cam faces in contact with the periphery of said cam for imparting reciprocal movement to said piston, and a spring controlled impact pawl pivotally connected with one of said blocks and engaging in said seat for imparting rotary impetus to said cam and to said shaft during the power stroke of said piston in said cylinder.

2. A power mechanism comprising a straight r 3 will be forced downrod and being mounted on said cam, said.impel-.

ler mechanism including a pair ofguide plates, said guide plates being disposed at respective sides of said cam and-provided withf elongated slots for the passage of the shaft, said impeller mechanism further including a pair cream 10 said piston in said cylinder.

blocks, said blocks being secured between said plates and having opposed cam faces in constant contact with the periphery of said cam for imparting reciprocal movement to said piston except during the power stroke 'of the latter, and a spring controlled impact pawl pivotally connected with one of said blocks and engaging in said seat for imparting rotary impetus to said cam and to said shaft during the power stroke of ANTHONY L. VISSAT. 

